Industrial Experiment on NO(x) Reduction by Urea Solution Injection in the Fuel-Rich Zone of a 330 MW Tangentially Pulverized Coal-Fired Boiler

[Image: see text] The effects of various factors on NO(x) reduction by urea solution injection in the fuel-rich zone (UIFR) under a reducing atmosphere at high temperature were experimentally investigated in a 330 MW tangentially pulverized coal-fired boiler. The experimental results indicated that the NO(x) emission of the boiler could be effectively reduced by using the UIFR method, and the NO(x) reduction efficiency was mostly affected by the operating load of the boiler, the air distribution condition, and the boiler operating oxygen content (BOOC). The higher the load was, the larger the optimal normalized stoichiometric ratio (NSR) and the lower the NO(x) reduction efficiency became. As compared with the condition of conventional air distribution mode, the reducing atmosphere in the combustion zone could be enhanced under the condition of limiting air distribution (LAD) mode, which thus increased the NO(x) reduction efficiency of UIFR and reduced the optimal NSR value. A low BOOC could further increase the NO(x) reduction efficiency of UIFR. When the BOOC was, respectively, reduced to 1.71 and 1.85 vol % under 210 and 240 MW loads, the corresponding NO(x) reduction efficiencies of UIFR reached 45.3 and 41.3% in the LAD mode, respectively. However, the low BOOC increased the CO emission concentration, which could be avoided by the combined use of UIFR and high-velocity over-fire air. These experimental results can provide guidance for the ultra-low NO(x) emission of coal-fired boilers.